This paper argues that because estimates of the number of people with developmental dyslexia range from 3% to 20% of the population, it is imperative that educators be knowledgeable about dyslexia, including being up-to-date on the neuroanatomical dyslexia research. It then reviews neuroanatomical research, including findings from seminal research…

The use of the processing component for learning disabilities (LD) definitions is discussed by examining its theoretical basis, large-scale implementation, and researched classroom effectiveness. Results indicate the processing definition of LD does not differentiate students with LD from low achievers, is inconsistently implemented, and does not…

Past, present, and future concerns regarding the definition of learning disabilities (LD) are documented. Research on efforts to clarify the LD label is discussed, including the questionable utility of the discrepancy model. An approach is presented for operationalizing the definition of LD of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities.…

This current response to a 1968 article by Ray Barsch (EC 602 662) notes lack of progress in defining and classifying learning disabilities and in determining appropriate interventions to help students with learning disabilities. The paper distinguishes among three types of learning problems and notes the need for individualized transdisciplinary…

Reviews the ongoing efforts to profile the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The efforts will be incomplete unless new approaches address the diversity in the rural component of the public school universe. Discusses definitional, conceptual, methodological, and policy-application issues related to the task of constructing a federal…

Reviews the methods, technologies, and operating tenets of case studies of reading disabilities completed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Results suggest that the assumptions of anatomical and functional modularity for cortical processes become guiding principles for diagnosing and correcting reading difficulties. (Author/CR)

A study examined comorbidity of the five federal definition characteristics among 1,352 students already identified as having emotional disturbance (ED). The extent of comorbidity of ED characteristics was related to the criterion for deviance and to each of the selected student variables, particularly school level and educational placement.…

This commentary discusses whether the American Association on Mental Retardation should change its name. It argues that the term "mental retardation" has become a potent, utterly dismissive invective in the mouths of adults and school children and should be replaced with the term "intellectual disability". (Contains 1…

This commentary discusses whether the American Association on Mental Retardation should change its name. It suggests that it is time for a name change, however, the term "mental retardation" should be kept for diagnostic and entitlement purposes until such time as a better term is found and accepted. (Contains references.) (CR)

This commentary discusses whether the American Association on Mental Retardation should change its name. It offers some ideas on how society might think about elemental change in terminology so a healthy outcome can be achieved without simply rearranging prejudices. The term "cognitive- adaptive disability" is proposed. (Contains three…

Since the 1950s the assumption that prejudice or ethnocentrism is a single entity with many causes has governed social scientific work on prejudice. The way society talks about prejudices has become an obstacle to real understanding. This book offers an alternative theory that is a claim that different prejudices are characteristic of different…

This monograph presents a general introduction to the history, classification, and characteristics of mental retardation. It begins with a discussion of the history of mental retardation from ancient Greece and Rome to the present. The beginnings of special education are traced to the early 19th century in Europe. Major influences in treatment of…

This guidebook is designed to assist concerned Michigan citizens, local governments, conservation organizations, landowners, and others in their efforts to initiate wetlands protection activities. Chapter 1 focuses on wetland functions, values, losses, and the urgent need to protect wetland resources. Chapter 2 discusses wetland identification and…

This report is a brief analysis of information from 47 states and non-state jurisdictions on use of the eligibility category, "developmental delay," for children up until their tenth birthday, as permitted under the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Relevant policy issues and concerns are also discussed.…

Historically, policies and funding guidelines for most federal educational programs have not adequately recognized the diversity of rural schools. A dichotomy of rural and urban, or even a tripartite classification (urban, suburban, and rural), would mask the internal diversity of rural schools. Current efforts to understand the condition of…